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CDC Level 1 emergency response, reserved for the most dire health emergencies, was declared for the first time in 2005 following Hurricane Katrina, and again in 2009 for the H1N1 influenza outbreak.
On August 8, the World Health Organization (WHO) also declared the Ebola outbreak an international public health emergency.
The outbreak began late last year. Affected areas include Guinea, Sierra Leone, and Liberia. At the time of this writing, of the 1,711 people infected 932 have died in these three areas. Nine people have also been diagnosed with the disease in Nigeria.
While the death rate for Ebola can be upwards of 90 percent, the current outbreak has a death rate of about 55 percent.
Two American aid workers, Dr. Kent Brantly and Nancy Writebol, have contracted the disease, and have been flown back for treatment in the US, aboard a specially-equipped plane. At least one of the victims is being treated at the Emory University Hospital in Atlanta, Georgia.
What Is Ebola?
Ebola disease is caused by an infection with an orthoebolavirus. Orthoebolaviruses are found primarily in sub-Saharan Africa. Orthoebolaviruses can cause serious and often deadly disease, with a mortality rate as high as 80 to 90 percent.
The Ebola virus was first discovered in 1976 when an outbreak occurred in Sudan. So far, five subtypes have been identified:
- Zaire ebolavirus (ZEBOV), identified in 1976, is thought to be the most virulent
- Sudan ebolavirus, (SEBOV)
- Ivory Coast ebolavirus (ICEBOV)
- Ebola-Reston (REBOV), isolated from monkeys in the Philippines in 1989. In 2009, this variant was thought to have been transferred from pigs to humans
- Bundibugyo ebolavirus (BEBOV). The first outbreak of this virus occurred in the Bundibugyo District, Uganda, in 2007. The virus was deposited with the CDC in November 2007, and was patented in 2009. It is the most closely related to the ICEBOV strain, but it's more virulent
The current outbreak involves Zaire ebolavirus, which produces symptoms within six to 16 days of infection. The virus leads to severe immunosuppression, but most deaths are attributed to dehydration caused by gastric problems. Early signs of infection include:
- Non-specific flu-like symptoms
- Sudden onset of fever, diarrhea, headache, muscle pain, vomiting, and abdominal pains
- Other, less common symptoms include sore throat, rashes, and bleeding
As the infection sets in, shock, cerebral edema (fluid on the brain), coagulation disorders, and secondary bacterial infections may occur. Hemorrhaging tends to begin four to five days after onset of the initial symptoms, which includes bleeding in the throat, gums, lips, and vagina. Vomiting blood, excreting tar-like feces indicative of gastrointestinal bleeding, and liver and/or multi-organ failure can also occur.
How Ebola Spreads
According to Fabian Leendertz, an epidemiologist and disease ecologist at the Robert Koch Institute in Berlin, the West African outbreak is spreading via contact with bodily fluids from an infected person. Those at greatest risk are women caring for sick relatives, those handling the dead, and health care workers.
However, he notes that Ebola doesn't spread as easily as most people might think. Again, person-to-person transmission requires close personal contact with an infected individual or their body fluids during the late stages of infection, or after death.
Leendertz recently told Science News that "even if an infected person were to hop on a plane and fly to the United States, Europe, or elsewhere, tight health care measures would ensure that Ebola will never get far."
Researchers have also confirmed that Ebola is not airborne. Like HIV/AIDS, the Ebola virus requires contact with bodily fluids of an infected person.
Interestingly, the Ebola virus is inactivated by UV radiation. It certainly isn't the first time sunlight has been shown to be beneficial in the fight against disease, although bacteria appears to be more susceptible to UV radiation than viruses.
Additionally, regular sun exposure will help optimize your vitamin D, which is crucial for overall robust immune function. Americans in particular may want to take that advice to heart, seeing how most are vitamin D deficient and therefore more open to infections of all kinds.
Where Did the Ebola Virus Come from?
Potential hosts of the Ebola virus include humans, various monkey species, chimpanzees, gorillas, baboons, duikers (a type of African antelope), two species of rodents, one species of shrew, and three species of fruit bats. The current outbreak in West Africa is thought to originate from either bats or primates.
A WONDER HERB
For thousands of years Ganoderma has been considered by the Chinese to be a high quality herbal medicine. The so-called ‘A-one Medicine’ is the best medicine which does not have any side effects, even after using it for a long time.
It can improve one’s constitution, increase the body’s healing ability to help maintain a healthy body, and have a long life.
THE MAGIC EFFECT OF GANODERMA:
Ganoderma has always been shrouded with a mysterious curtain for more than a thousand years. People only know ‘‘Ganodermas can keep one young and give one a long life if taken continuously”, but no one had ever scientifically investigated why it is so effective.
Under the attentive research done by both Chinese and foreign scholars in recent years, and the cooperative analysis and clinical experiments done by hospitals, colleges, and pharmaceutical manufacturers, its extensive efficacy has finally been discovered. It is a hemocatheresis, detoxicant, diuretic, liver protector, intestine regulator, cardiotonic, blood pressure adjustor, a cold tonic, antitussive and expectorant, a tranquilliser and anti-tumour drug.
IMPORTANT COMPONENTS OF GANODERMA:
- Organic Germanium (Ge): Can increase the oxygen absorbed by the blood up to 1.5 times: can promote metabolism: prevent tissue degeneration. According to the research of Dr Kazuhiko Asai, Ganoderma contains 800 - 2000 p.p.m. of germanium. This is 4-6 times more than ginseng.
- Polysaccharides: These can improve the body’s immune system, eliminate viruses. Japanese pharmaceutical companies have refined it to medical quality and it has been approved by the Koseisho Health Department in Japan for insurance medicine.
- Its bitter taste. It is under constant study by the Japanese medical and pharmaceutical fields. The efficacy is a result of the interrelation of germanium and polysaccharides. Some plants may contain one or the other, but Ganoderma is much more effective. The combination of components is different from other plants and all of the components must be preserved to insure efficiency.
MEDICAL PRINCIPLES OF GANODERMA:
According to Dr Shigeru Yuji’s clinical experiments, the reason Ganoderma is effective is because of its basic functions.
- Lowers cholesterol in the blood and the amount of free fat.
- Reduces blood sugar level; to restore pancreas functions.
- Lowers blood lipids and stabilizes red cell membrane.
- Due to Ganoderma containing Adenosine, it can lower platelet angulation, and lyses thrombi and prevent thrombogenesis.
- Improves the function of the cortex of the adrenal glands to maintain endocrine balance.
- Elevates the natural healing ability of the body, allows the body to establish a strong immune system.
- Prevents tissue cell degeneration.
- Prevents senility, maintaining a youthful constitution.
- Lowers the side effects of anti-hypertensive drugs.
- Prevents organ degeneration.
- Prevents allergy caused by antigens, because it inhibits the histamine releasing mast cell.
- Prevents and treats cancer and inhibits cancer cell metastasis.
- Normalize to prevent tissue degeneration.
- Prevent sudden death of cancer patients caused by embolism.
- Inhibits thrombogenesis and lyses thrombi on the wall of surrounding tissues and removes blockade of cancer medication, increases these drugs’ effectiveness.
- Relieves pain caused by cancer.
It is really true that Ganoderma is the savior of modern diseases and is a UNIVERSAL MEDICINE for all diseases?
By Yukio Naoi of Kyoto University Foodstuff Scientific Institute
"Is Ganoderma really a Universal Medicine?"
The first issue is whether Ganoderma can be effective on all kinds of diseases. Our reply is ‘Yes’, because it is able to maintain the health of the modern person. For an unhealthy person, Ganoderma can affect the most feeble parts of his body. To a patient, it can root out the source of the sickness and allow recovery.
Ganoderma can change an imbalanced body to a healthy one. There is no difference among human races, ancient or modern people. Ganoderma has an effect on all. The same people all over the world will obtain the same results.
If the patient’s constitution conforms to Ganoderma, it is as if a patient drug is achieving its highest effects. In fact, we have not found any person who obtained negative effects or inefficient results.
